1. Technical Field
This invention relates to beds and, more particularly, to a multi-purpose bed for permitting a user to comfortably lay face-down during extended time periods.
2. Prior Art
Most people spend about one-third of their lives sleeping or resting. It is widely accepted in the medical field that proper rest is needed in order to sustain a healthy lifestyle. Poor bedding support, improper sleeping positions, particularly misalignment of the neck during sleeping can lead to a wide variety of physical and, consequently, psychological ailments. Cervical (neck) distortion aggravates, directly and indirectly, vertebral position, muscles and nerves dependent upon those positions. There is also a recognized correlation between cervical distortion and lumbar (low back) function. Such distortion does not necessarily correct itself and can lead to subluxations (vertebral misalignments), nerve interference, muscular aches and pains. The ailments can cause a person to be less functional, less productive, less restful and irritable. These ailments can have a high cost to society in lost work days, medical visits, ancillary treatments and collectively contribute to the present strain on the health care systems of society.
With a conventional mattress, people desiring to sleep in a prone, i.e. face down, position are required to turn their heads in order to breathe. Prolonged fixation of the neck in this position creates muscular, vascular and spinal stresses which can lead to pain not only in the neck but also in the fingers, head, shoulders and arms. Lower back problems caused or exacerbated may require expensive professional treatment. In light of the desire for many people to sleep in the prone position and the recognized disadvantages of having people sleep on their stomachs while turning their heads to breathe, mattresses have been previously proposed which provide openings near the superior end of a mattress to accommodate a person's head while allowing the free flow of needed air.
The prior attempts to design a mattress that comfortably supports a person sleeping in a prone position have had serious shortcomings. For example, some prior designs had rectangular openings which did not comfortably accommodate different head sizes and face shape differences. Such openings also did not provide for variations in facial-mattress contact by the person sleeping during a resting period. Other such prior mattresses proposed for prone sleeping positions, were provided with circular or oval openings which were also limited to faces and heads having certain sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,031 to Lemly discloses a two piece mattress face rest adapted to be inserted within an opening in a mattress wherein the top and bottom pieces are joined to provide a sleeve to fit the mattress opening. Both the top and bottom pieces have peripheral flanges which lie flat on the top and bottom of the mattress. The two pieces snugly wedge within the opening, mating at their end peripheries. Unfortunately, this prior art reference does not provide a plurality of pillows removably attached to the top surface of the mattress and positioned about partial perimeters of the openings to align the user's face with the opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,906 to Varndell discloses a mattress for small children with a removable foam insert that fits in an aperture cut in the head portion of a foam mattress body. The insert has a plurality of perforations extending from its top face to its bottom face which reduce the risk of suffocation. The perforations are grouped towards the head of the mattress for optimum positioning beneath the child's head. To ensure that a replacement insert, when the former insert is soiled and requires washing, is fitted in the correct orientation, each insert has a key portion projecting from one edge for interlocking with a correspondingly shaped recess in a side wall of the aperture. Unfortunately, this prior art reference does not provide a means for partitioning the passageway into a plurality of segments and thereby prohibiting free flow of the ambient air, air-borne fluids, and debris through an entire longitudinal length of the passageway.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,798 to Guarino discloses a resting support, for example, a mattress, comprising an interior slot designed to support a person resting in the prone position. One embodiment comprises a slot having a first sidewall which extends at an angle downwardly from the substantially planar resting surface and a second sidewall which extends from a lower portion of the first sidewall, preferably at an angle which is steeper than the angle of the first sidewall. Also disclosed is a box spring having a corresponding, and preferably, larger opening. A removable, supplemental facial support is also disclosed. Unfortunately, this prior art reference does not provide a plurality of pillows to support the user's head and would likely result in uncomfortable support of the user's face.
Accordingly, a need remains for an apparatus to overcome the above stated shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a multi-purpose bed that is convenient and easy to use, is durable and versatile in its applications, and provides users with an ergonomically designed mattress which enables them to comfortably and safely lay face-down during extended time periods.